The invention relates to a device for cooling a dairy animal, such as a cow, according to the preamble of claim 1.
Such a device is known from NL 1012809. In this known device cooling takes place in the milking parlour by wetting with liquid and by air displacement. Due to this, the animal is less quickly inclined to leave the milking parlour and consequently makes it impossible for other animals to enter the milking parlour.
The invention aims inter alia at providing a device for cooling a dairy animal, in which the problem of obstruction is at least almost obviated.
According to the invention this is achieved in that a device for cooling a dairy animal of the above-described type comprises the measures of the characterizing part of claim 1. Because of the fact that there is made a distinction between the first treatment area where exclusively the wetting means and not the air displacing means are disposed, and the second treatment area that comprises the air displacing means, an animal is more quickly inclined to leave the first treatment area in order to experience additional cooling by the air displacing means. This will result in a reduction of the time during which the first treatment area will be occupied.
A device according to the invention is preferably provided with a milking parlour for milking a dairy animal, with a pre-treatment area for pre-treating the dairy animal prior to milking, and with a post-treatment area for post-treating a dairy animal after milking. In particular the first treatment area is constituted by the pre-treatment area and the second treatment area is constituted by the milking parlour. Alternatively the first treatment area is constituted by the pre-treatment area and the second treatment area is constituted by the post-treatment area. Alternatively the first treatment area is constituted by the milking parlour and the second treatment area is constituted by the post-treatment area.
Although it would be possible for the second treatment area also to comprise wetting means, it has appeared in practice that a dairy animal leaves the first treatment area so quickly that upon reaching the second treatment area it is still sufficiently wet, so that wetting means in the second treatment area are superfluous. Thus an embodiment of a device according to the invention is characterized in that the second treatment area exclusively comprises the air displacing means.
When the first treatment area comprises a first animal identification device and the second treatment area comprises a second animal identification device, it is possible to control the air displacing means with the aid of data from the first and second animal identification device. Thus it is possible for example to reward an animal that has been milked by cooling via the air displacing means, whereas a dairy animal that has visited the milking parlour but has not been milked is recognised as such and, consequently, is not rewarded by activation of the air displacing means.
When the air displacing means are activated during a pre-set time, a certain degree of cooling can be obtained, possibly in dependence of the environmental conditions.
In order to give or refuse animals access to the second treatment area, the second treatment area comprises an entrance gate controlled with the aid of data from the first and second animal identification device. In this manner undesired occupation of the second treatment area by a dairy animal is prevented.
The second treatment area is preferably provided with a device for supplying roughage for the purpose of improving the enticement of the dairy animal from the first treatment area.